Along the Iiyama Line flows the Chikuma-gawa River (Shinano-gawa River), and along the river lie village woods, fields and country homes.
This train was created around this concept of rustic Japan and bringing people to home villages, where the true heart of the Japanese people resides. Gazing at the rice paddies fading into the distance, passengers feel a sense of calm and healing. To help bring home the image of the home village, with its scenic rice paddies, rivers and mountains, this train was named Oykot, which is "Tokyo" spelled backwards. In Japanese, the name is written in hiragana as "Oikotto" (おいこっと).
Oykot pamphlet [PDF/2.8MB]
*Online seat reservation will be available from Wednesday, September 5th, 2018 beginning at 5:30AM (JST)

How to purchase
Tickets for the Oykot are not available for sale outside of Japan. There are multiple ways to purchase tickets as follows.
- Passes:
- Purchase a pass that is for foreign visitors to Japan and covers the travel area. Recommended passes when visiting Japan
- Tickets:
- Available for sale at JR EAST Travel Service Centers and your local JR Ticket Office (Midori-no-madoguchi).
Note: Not all services are available on certain trains when boarding with a pass or a ticket.
Online seat reservation
*Online seat reservation will be available from Wednesday, September 5th, 2018 beginning at 5:30AM (JST)